For Release: January 19, 2021

The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) final efficacy test guidelines are now available for pesticides used against fire ants and invertebrate pests of pets. In these test guidelines, EPA recommends studies that evaluate the performance of pesticides that control fire ant colonies and pests such as fleas, ticks, mosquitoes, and biting flies.

These revised test guidelines update, clarify, and expand upon the original guidelines, which EPA published in 1998. They provide more detailed recommendations of testing methods and statistical analyses, and include testing designs for newer product types. Public comments and review from the FIFRA Scientific Advisory Panel inform the revisions.

All companies wishing to register a pesticide product for use against public health pests must submit product performance data that demonstrate the product works against the target pests. These test guidelines ensure that data are scientifically sound and support a product’s performance claims.

Data obtained using EPA’s test guidelines are used to perform scientific assessments that inform regulatory decisions. View our website for additional Guidance on Efficacy Testing for Pesticides Targeting Certain Invertebrate Pests.

View the series 810 test guidelines, including the updated series 810.3100 guideline for fire ants and 810.3300 for invertebrate pests of pets.